Last week we reported on an internal memo released by AT&T that referred to T-Mobile’s new T-Priority service for first responders as “simply a well-executed marketing campaign“.
AT&T said that T-Mobile’s claims of being “the world’s first network slice for first responders” were false, and explained how their own FirstNet service is far superior.
Now T-Mobile has reached out via email to share their side of the story.
T-Mobile fires back
In a message sent directly to us here at The Mobile Report, a T-Mobile representative told us that the company has, in fact, tested their network slicing technology, contrary to AT&T’s claims.
The representative pointed out that T-Mobile tested 5G network slicing at various events in the past, such as a Red Bull event during the summer last year, and at the Vegas Grand Prix earlier this year.
Obviously, these are comparatively small events and not a nationwide group of first responders. T-Mobile, though, says these test runs, as well as the launch of a dedicated “Security Slice” service for businesses late last year, have enabled them to perfect the network slicing technology to use for even wider deployment.
The company representative also mentioned that FirstNet was a great solution back when it was created, but it’s a technology being left behind by time.
The reality is AT&T’s FirstNet was the right solution for its time but it was built in the 4G era. Earlier this year, FirstNet even issued a press release emphasizing the importance of upgrading their network with 5G SA capabilities, a process they estimate will take several years and cost over $6 billion—just to do what our network technology can already offer.
A T-Mobile Representative
When asked for an official quote, Mo Katibeh, Chief Marketing Officer for T-Mobile Business Group, had this to say about the claims network slicing “isn’t ready” for a group as important as first responders:
“Network slicing isn’t an untested technology. It’s just rare in the U.S. because it requires the most advanced type of 5G network – 5G standalone. T-Mobile was the first provider in the world to roll out a 5G standalone network back in 2020, and we run the largest scaled 5G standalone network in the U.S. today. This means we’ve had years of testing and proving network slicing using 3GPP standards.
We’ve used network slicing at some of the largest, most congested events in the U.S., and we even launched the world’s first commercial network slice with our T-Mobile security slice last year. So, while network slicing may be an untested technology for other U.S. providers, it’s business as usual for T-Mobile.”
Mo Katibeh, CMO, T-Mobile Business Group
It’s clear T-Mobile is serious about getting into the first responder game, and is using their network slicing technology to do it. They also, clearly, aren’t going to be bullied around by AT&T.
Third-party thoughts
T-Mobile also provided a link to a new report from Omdia, a third-party company that calls themselves a “global analyst”, called 5G Network Slicing: Early Movers and Strategies.
It’s quite a lot of high-level talk, but it basically speaks on the companies worldwide that are using network slicing, and T-Mobile is pretty much the only company in the US using it so far.
The report mentions how T-Mobile’s early use in security applications is a good move, and that at the moment network slicing is used “to maintain the network’s performance in specific conditions, not to offer premium connectivity”.
Such a use case is exactly what would be needed for a dedicated First Responder network slice.
The future of 5G Network Slicing
T-Mobile wants to be clear about one thing: they’re at the forefront of the latest network technologies, and they’ve got this whole network slicing thing handled.
It also shows that the future of 5G is just beginning. Network slicing can be used for a variety of interesting and useful services, such as a dedicated fixed-wireless home internet network, or a virtual private network slice within the nationwide 5G network. It’s all pretty advanced stuff.
Hopefully, both T-Mobile and the other carriers keep the customer in mind first, and continues to develop technologies that enrich people’s lives, not just finds ways to monetize it.
